Soups

Soups are great for cleaning out the fridge.  Do you have a bunch of extra baked potatoes....Baked Potato & Ham soup!  Need to use the ton of fresh tomatoes....Vegetable Soup & Salsa!  Well, both of these things happened to me.  My mother and my friend Jen gave me these extra ingredients and we made some tasty soups!  Soups ingredients are so interchangeable too!

Quick & Easy Vegetable Soup

1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth

1 (11.5 oz) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail

1 c. water

1 large potato, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (or a bundle of fresh ones)

1 c. chopped fresh green beans

1 c. fresh con kernels

slat & pepper to taste

Creole seasoning to taste

In a large stock pot, combine broth, tomato juice, water, potatoes, carrots, celery, undrained chopped tomatoes, green beans, and corn.  Season with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. 

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1-2 serrano chiles, finely chopped (WEAR GLOVES- THEY BURN!)

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 t. salt

2 . lime juice

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients.  Chill for one hour in the fridge before serving. 
(I loved the flavor & how simple this was to make!)

Baked Potato & Ham Soup

5-6 baked potatoes (chopped)

1 T. vegetable oil

1/2 onion

1-2 c. chopped ham

3 T. chicken bouillon granules

1 c. chopped carrots

2 c. chopped broccoli

2 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream

salt & pepper to taste

cheese (add as desired)

I've estimated the amounts.  

In a pot, heat oil, onions, and ham.  Add chicken bouillon granules & water.  Stir in baked potatoes, milk and sour cream.  After this has heated for about 20 minutes, use hand mixed to whip the potato mixture.  Add veggies (pre-steamed) to the pot.  Add more liquid or potatoes as needed to find the perfect thickness.  Add cheese at the end.

Peppermint

Peppermint hot cocoa & peppermint jelly roll cake....what says Christmas season more that this?  Well, my husband's family has had peppermint ice cream during the holidays and I've fallen in love with it.  I'll mix add chocolate candy bars to it or serve it with brownies and chocolate sauce.  Now, this was delicious but I almost died when I tried Cheesecake Factory's peppermint cheesecake.  I don't have the recipe but would love any ideas if anyone also loves chocolate peppermint cheesecake.  Here is one recipe that I found at cooks.com that sounds simple and yummy!

PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,166,152171-227194,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 c. chocolate wafer crumbs 3 tbsp. butter, melted 1 env. unflavored gelatin 1/4 c. cold water 2 (8 oz.) containers soft Philadelphia cream cheese 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. milk 1/4 c. crushed peppermint candy 1 c. whipping cream, whipped 2 (1.05 oz.) milk chocolate candy bars, finely chopped Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.Soften gelatin in cold water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing on electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add gelatin, milk and peppermint candy, mixing until blended; chill until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped cream and chocolate. Pour over crust; chill until firm. Garnish with additional whipped cream and peppermint candy, if desired.

Tilapia

I want to tell you about Tilapia, a delicious, healthy & very easy to cook fish, even for someone who rarely cooks fish.  Tilapia is a low-calorie, non-fishy tasting, white fish.  I've been able to find both fresh and frozen at most grocery stores.

Orange Citrus Tilapia over Rice

In a skillet place orange slices in the bottom and a little bit of water and heat for about 1 minutes.  Then add the pieces of tilapia in the pan.  Move around with a spatula and add water as needed to avoid burning the fish.   Serve over brown rice & add veggies on the side.

(Food.com)

Tilapia Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

5 Tilapia fillets

1 T. Olive OIl

1 Lime (juice)

1 T. Cumin

2 T. Southwest seasoning

Salt

8 Corn Tortillas

Cooking Spray

Toppings/Ingredients: (Optional)

Sour Cream- plain greek yogurt

Guacamole

Minced onions

Beans

Rice

Cheese

Fresh Salsa

Lime Slices

Directions:

1. In a nonstick pan, heat over medium high heat the oil and then add the tilapia.

2. Season with half the lim juice, salf, cumin and southwest seasoning. 

3. Once that side is cooked, flip and season, cooking till golden.

4. Heat a small pan over medium heat and then spray with cooking spray.  Add tortilla, cooking and heating both sides.

5. Fill tortilla with a portion of fish and then top with desired toppings.

Ground Turkey

We love to use ground turkey instead of ground beef in most of our meals.  We had a guest over recently for our turkey tacos and he seemed pretty convinced after we told him that there was more protein and the the same flavor with turkey.

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Southwestern-Flavored Ground Turkey Tacos

Serves 5

1 T. Olive Oil

1/2 Onion (chopped)

1 1/2 Large garlic cloves (minced) 

1 1/2 T. Chili powder

1 t. Died oregano

1/2 T. Ground Cumin

1 1/2 lbs Lean ground turkey

1 Can of died tomatoes (petite)  (We used fresh tomatotes)

Salt

Pepper

1/8 c. Cornmeal (We didn't use this because we didn't have it.)

(I think we also added some bell pepper)

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet until shimmering.  Add onion; saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder, oregano and cumin; saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add beef or turkey and cook, stiring often, until it loses its raw color.  Stir n tomatoes; simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir in cornmeal; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens, almost instantly.  Cool & refrigerate (or serve warm for dinner as tacos or taco salad.)

(We use wheat tortillas, and add cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce, more tomatoes & anything else that sounds good!)

Temporary Hold-up

I was temporarily not able to get an internet connection...and so you may get the rest of the 10 ingredients throughout the night.  :)

Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar is the key ingredient in carmel.  It makes everything more delicious.  Here are two fun recipes that were terrific!

My mother-in-law, Colleen, taught me to make these.  I couldn't ask for a better new mom.  She has made me feel so at home from the beginning.  I respect her so much and trust her completely.  When we we first started dating, I asked my husband about his mother.  He said she is a best friend.  He told me how she lived her life to brighten others and was such a good listener.  I've found this to be so true.  She wrote me often while I was in Jerusalem and it meant so much.  She is always making us incredible Sunday dinners and willing to teach me how to make fun recipes.  She has become close friends with my family and together we made this treat for them.  They almost died with joy.
 

Turtle Bars
1 1/2 c. Flour
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/3 t. salt
2/3 t. soda
1 1/8 c. brown sugar
2 cube melted butter

Mix the above ingredient together.  Put half on bottom of a 9x13 pan and save half for the top. 
Bake this crust 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Melt 48 carmels (1 lb.) with 7 T. of cream canned milk or milk.  (Or use Carmel Ice Cream Topping.)
3/4 c. chocolate chips over the crust mixture
1 c. chopped nuts over this (optional)

Pour carmel mixture over this.  Put remaining crust mixture on top. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. 

Colleen quoted her Aunt Marilyn to say, "The difference between a good cook & a great cook is the right recipe."  This gives me hope!

Carmel Popcorn

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup karo syrup

1 cube butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

popcorn

In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, karo syrup & butter to soft boil temperature (about 240 degrees Fahrenheit).  Add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk & bring up to a boil.   Remove from heat & pour over 3 gallons of popped popcorn.  

(I spread the hot popcorn in a cookie sheet and drizzled the carmel over it and mixed it with my hands.)

(We got all the ingredients & recipe for this as a wedding gift!  We loved it!)

Pesto Packets

I discovered Pesto Packets and Alfredo Packets and love them!  They are delicious & save time, with the right recipe!

Lemon & Pesto Shrimp over Pasta

Spaghetti or angel hair pasta

1 T. Olive Oil

Shrimp (12 pieces per person)

1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

1 T. of butter

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Artichoke hearts or broccoli

Pesto Packet (Korr)

1 c. milk

1/4. Olive Oil

Cook pasta.

Thaw frozen shrimp  by running warm water over it in a strainer.  Put Shrimp in the skillet & put 1 T. olive oil.  Squeeze the entire lemon, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, & 1 T. of butter.  Cook all of this together and so the shrimp soaks up some of the juices (5 minutes on medium heat)  and then remove the juice and let the shrimp brown.  Once they are slightly browned then put over strained pasta & drizzle the pesto over it.  Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese.  Add artichoke hearts or broccoli (optional).

Pesto Sauce:

Pesto Packet (Korr) - Creamy Pesto

1 c. milk

1/4 c. Olive Oil

Cook in a pan until it boils and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. and thickens and then take it off of the heat. 

Waffles

Growing up my Dad always threw waffle parties and so I've always loved them and recently I spent a semester in Jerusalem and found The Waffle Bar.  It had deluxe waffle desserts!  The one I got looked like this picture below.

 Banana Boat Waffle Explosion

1 Waffle

Sliced bananas

Ice Cream

Hot Fudge Sauce

Whipped Cream

Carmel

Shana, Shay and I got together and made a birthday dinner for our dear friend, Annie, a couple months ago.  We had so much fun and finished off with these treats.  We all loved them!
 

Cream Cheese

Now, I know that cream cheese isn't very healthy, but even just a smidgen of it can bring a lot of flavor.  (Plus, think about how much salt we put on bland food.)

Philadelphia Cooking Creme is a newer product that makes me feel like a gourmet chef after only cooking for 20 minutes!  It has so much flavor and makes any dish taste amazing!  There are recipes online at cookphilly.com.  One that I made and loved was:

Creamy Italian Chicken & Orzo Skillet (with slight changes)

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme (I think I only used about 7 oz. of it and then added a scoop of fat free sour cream- a little bit healthier.)

1/2 c. chopped tomatoes

2 cups hot cooked orzo pasta (I used brown rice)

Cook chicken and zucchini in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 6-7 min. or until chicken is done.  Add cooking creme and tomatoes; cook & stir 2 min.

Serve over pasta/rice.

I think I added broccoli as well.  Ad as many veggies as you'd like. 


Cream Cheese Oreo Pops-
I tried one the other day that our dear friend LaVerna made.  I'll post the recipe when I get it.  My mom told me that it was smashed Oreos mixed with cream cheese & dipped in white chocolate with brown chocolate drizzled on top.  Add a sucker stick & cover the top in cling wrap with a ribbon to make it look like a sucker.  It was so heavenly.  If I make them, I'd ad peanut butter and use the peppermint Oreos that are out right now.

Fruit (In Salads)

Apples, Pineapple, Pomegranates, cranberries, oranges, grapes, pears & more!

Some of the fun salads I've made lately are:

Grilled Chicken Salad: Spinach, grilled chicken, chopped apples, carrots, cheese, cucumbers, bell peppers & fresh lemon juice!  (You'll feel so healthy that you won't be able to stop yourself from eating fries later that night to compensate!)

Pomegranate Fruit Salad: Pineapple, bananas, pomegranate seeds, apples, oranges & lemon juice.

Pineapple Chicken Salad:

Chop chicken breast into small bit size pieces and cook in a 4 in deep saute pan in the following mixture:
grated ginger
garlic
pineapple juice (all of it from the can)
soy sauce (1/3 c.)
vegetable oil (3 T.)
lemon juice (3 T.)

Serve the chicken over:
Spinach
Chopped orange bell pepper
Pineapple chunks
tomatoes
carrots

Use the pineapple mixture drippings from the pan as the dressing.

Lemons

Although lemons make me pucker they also have brought a smile to my face most recently.  My husband told me the other day that he'd always be a happy man if I'd just keep buying lemons.

What a lemon makes better:
Smoothies (cut off the peel & put an entire lemon in your smoothies)
Fresh lemon juice is the most refreshing and healthy salad dressing

My new favorite smoothie recipe:

1 whole lemon

3/4 c. frozen berries

2 ice cubes

1 c. milk

1/8 c. French vanilla coffee creamer

1 banana

1/4 c. orange juice concentrate

squirt of lime juice

10 Favorite ingredients in 10 min Fast increments

10 Favorite Ingredients in 10 min Fast Increments

1. Lemons 4:30

2. Fruit (in Salads) 4:40

3. Cream Cheese 4:50

4. Waffle desserts 5:00

5. Pesto Packets 5:10

6. Waffles 5:20

7. Ground Turkey 5:30

8. Tilapia 5:40

9. Peppermint 5:50

10. Soup 6:00pm

Starting at 4:30pm today, I'll start posting in 10 minute increments about each of these fabulous ingredients that I've discovered.  I've extended this challenge to myself and I will be writing each post in only 10 minutes.  I like challenges because they get me creative, plus I have my Christmas Music playing. :) 

Heathy's Heavenly Rolls

Blue Grass Music, Baking Bread, Eating Cheerios late at night and singing as we walked home from the BYUI library at 11pm...almost sums up my beautiful Heather.  Words can't actually describe the angel of a friend that she's been to me.  The week before my wedding, with a brand new baby, she and her mother (who was visiting to help her after the birth) made me my wedding veil.  The act was more than just thread and time, it was full of encouragement, excitement, & pure love.  Her mother, Gwen, is the queen of all things domestic and she fed my stomach, more than once, while Heather & I were roommates.  She'd send bread, chicken,  jam  & other treats down with Heather.  Heather's motto was, "What's mine is yours."  Her example changed the way I was as a missionary companion, friend, sibling & now wife.  She gives with all her heart and delights in doing so.  Her voice and smile are unbelievable and always make me happier.  

I was excited that Heather shared her mother's famous roll recipe. Heather made these almost weekly and we'd always squeal with excitement when she did.  She said that her mother following about her beloved mother:

"My mother makes these wonderful rolls for everything, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners & or special nights.  She brings them when she comes to visit, when she'd come visit at college for my and for all other special occasions.  My mother can create something wonderful and useful out of any and everything. She is the master of figuring out how to make anything that you can find online, in stores and at boutiques. She has a mind for making marvelous useful things that make life easier and she is not afraid to fail and try again. That is what creation is all about; we work and work and work till we get it absolutely right! Then it makes our life better and fuller and we move on to the next creation."

Rich Dinner Rolls 
1.5-3 cups flour  (start with just 1.5 cups & add all 3 cups if its too sticky)

1/4 cup powdered milk
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. Yeast
1/4 cup sugar
mix together and add:

1/4 cup margarine, butter, or shortening
Mix well together and add:

1 & 1/2 cups hot water out of the tap
mix in well and add:

2 eggs beaten in another bowl

Beat and add enough flour to need smooth (the trick in not to add too much! just smooth and soft)
Let rise in a greased bowl at least 10 min.
Punch down and shape into rolls.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 min.
Enjoy :)